Car Accident FAQs

In California, Uber and Lyft are each covered by various insurance providers. These insurance companies are sufficiently large that any single claim does not meaningfully impact their bottom line. So long as your claim is valid and properly documented by authorities such as police, ambulance, fire rescue, and medical doctors, your claim will be given the respect it deserves. Of course, in order to prioritize maximum compensation from insurance companies, it makes a significant difference when you consult a law firm with experience handling injury claims against ridesharing companies.

Yes, AB 2293 went into effect on July 1, 2015. This law sets insurance coverage requirement for all Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) and driver partners in California while they are logged in to the Uber or Lyft platform and waiting for a trip request, also known as period 1.

No, Uber or Lyft will not penalize you for bringing a valid injury claim under the insurance policy. Your privileges on the Uber or Lyft applications or platforms will not be in jeopardy as long as your claim is valid. Both Uber and Lyft pay a portion of each fare directly to their insurance companies for this exact purpose. Pursuing a claim and retaining an Uber accident lawyer, such as Sam Fareed of United Citizen Law Firm, should not result in any such penalty.

Rideshare companies, also known as Transportation Network Companies, contract with freelance drivers who use their personal vehicles to transport passengers. These services are provided through inexpensive and convenient smartphone apps. Simply use your phone to request a ride through the app, and you’ll be on your way within minutes. Once you arrive at your destination, you’re free to exit while the app handles payment automatically.

This is the question most often asked—and the most difficult to answer. The value of any personal injury auto accident case involves many factors and usually depends on the unique facts of each individual case. Relevant factors include medical expenses, future damages, scarring and disfigurement, permanent physical impairment, accident location, damage to property or vehicles, available insurance coverage, and more. What’s important is that, with United Citizen Law, our goal is to obtain the maximum possible settlement. Why? Because the more compensation you receive, the more we earn. It’s a win-win for both attorney and client in a personal injury accident case, which is why it is imperative to hire an attorney as soon as possible.

A case that results in someone’s death is commonly referred to as a “wrongful death” action. The claim can still be pursued on the deceased person’s behalf, and the family members are known as “wrongful death claimants.” The wrongful death beneficiaries may be entitled to compensation for various damages, including funeral costs, loss of love and companionship, and economic loss suffered as a result of their relative’s death. The wrongful death claimants may also seek damages for mental anguish and emotional distress suffered in the aftermath of a loved one’s passing. At United Citizen Law, we are known for reliably handling wrongful death cases in Sacramento.

Yes. Even if you are a passenger in the at-fault driver’s car, you can still file a personal injury claim against the driver of the car in which you were a passenger. If the accident was the other driver’s fault, you can make a claim against that driver. If you are a passenger, you automatically have a claim against someone, so if you are injured, you should always seek a lawyer. If the driver of the other car was at fault, we would be happy to represent both you and the driver of your car if you were both injured. This happens quite often but can sometimes be confusing. If you have any questions, please call us today at (916) 800-8457. The call is free, and the advice is priceless.

Yes. You should not have to use your sick days, vacation time, or benefits to pay for someone else’s mistake. If the other driver is at fault, you should be compensated for lost wages during time you missed due to doctor’s appointments or medical restrictions. You may also be entitled to future lost wages and loss of wage-earning capacity. Document work absences and limitations very carefully. Obtain documentation from your employer in the form of timesheet reports, pay stubs, or other records proving that you have lost wages because of the car accident.

Absolutely. California law provides that an accident victim is entitled to damages for pain and suffering. You should always write down all of the pain and suffering you experience and how it affects your life, with as much detail as possible, every day following a traffic accident. Are you in constant pain? Do your pain levels fluctuate? How intense is your pain on a scale of 1 to 10? These details are extremely helpful to personal injury lawyers. How is the pain impacting your life? Are you unable to partake in activities that you used to do before the accident? Even routine actions like watching TV, eating, performing household chores, and engaging in physical intimacy can be affected by injuries sustained in a car accident. Our personal injury attorneys want to know every detail of your post-accident struggle so that you can be fully compensated for your injuries.

In California, we have Personal Injury Medical Payments (Med Pay), which cover a certain amount of medical bills, regardless of who is at fault. Your insurance company initially handles this process. However, the at-fault driver’s insurance company must pay all of the medical bills you incur from a personal injury accident. This includes hospital bills, ambulance costs, physical therapy, and all other medical treatment expenses. United Citizen Law’s team will ensure that all of your related bills are properly accounted and fully compensated for. During our initial intake process, we will ask for the names of both your car insurance and health insurance companies. We will contact medical providers, collect your bills, and submit them for just reimbursement. We handle the entire process at no cost to you. If we do not make a recovery, you pay us nothing.

Yes. Injuries sustained during car accidents are often not noticeable for days or even weeks. Though you may initially feel fine, you could be suffering from internal injuries with delayed pain effects. You should always seek medical attention after being involved in an automobile accident. When you see the doctor, be sure to mention all of your symptoms, including minor ones. If you did not cause the accident, the law allows you to receive compensation for any medical bills you incur as a result of the collision.

The at-fault driver’s insurance company should provide you with a rental car while your vehicle is being repaired. You are not required to pay any rental car costs out of pocket. United Citizen Law will ensure that your transportation needs are fairly compensated following a car accident.

Our team at United Citizen Law can verify that your vehicle’s post-accident repair needs are properly handled. If the other driver’s insurance company accepts responsibility, we will contact them to ensure your vehicle is repaired and costs are fully covered. When disputes arise over accident liability or the other driver does not have insurance, we will contact your insurance company and handle the situation. If you choose not to hire a lawyer, you should contact your insurance company right away regarding repairs and a rental car, if needed. However, we highly recommend utilizing a personal injury firm’s services to ensure maximum coverage and compensation.

Yes, but your personal injury lawyer will acquire these materials for you. We will need a copy of the police report in order to properly assess the accident details. The police incident report is vital for verifying information about the other driver involved in the accident, the driver’s insurance company, and any police-recorded details about the accident’s cause. Additionally, witnesses’ names, addresses, and phone numbers are often included in police reports. If you have already obtained a copy of your traffic accident’s police report, send it to your personal injury attorney at your earliest convenience. If you don’t have the police incident report, your personal injury firm’s team will promptly acquire it. Choosing a reliable firm like United Citizen Law is important to ease concerns over complicated documentation and reporting processes so you can focus on recovering and moving forward after your accident.

No, you are in no way obligated to speak with the other driver’s insurance company, and our best advice is to speak with your personal injury lawyer before you consider responding to anyone. After an unexpected accident, your health should be your top priority—not insurance adjusters looking to exploit you. They may attempt to mislead you into making statements that are detrimental to your case, so call your personal injury firm before saying anything of consequence to sly individuals. United Citizen Law can prevent any parties from taking advantage of your vulnerability after a car accident.

Yes. Unfortunately, many drivers in California operate their vehicles without insurance coverage, and these drivers are more likely to cause accidents and injuries. If you are involved in an accident with an uninsured motorist, you may wrongly assume that you do not have recourse. In actuality, you can seek compensation from your own insurance company through your uninsured or underinsured motorist (UM or UIM) coverage. In such an instance, a claim against your own insurance company will not be held against you when it comes to future rates. UM and UIM claims are within your rights and are already accounted for in your regular insurance payments. If you have an auto accident claim against an uninsured motorist, call United Citizen Law today at (916) 800-8457. We will answer any complicated questions you have and take charge of the proceedings while you recover.

While you may be obligated to cooperate with your own insurance company by providing an official statement, that does not require you to give recorded statements to the other driver’s insurance company. Our personal injury team at United Citizen Law will handle all communications with other insurance providers. We won’t hesitate to call them 50+ times on your behalf if needed. Insurance company claims adjusters are trained to save money for their firms, and they often attempt to extract statements that paint an inaccurate picture of an accident victim’s situation. If they successfully call incident liability into question or falsely suggest injury exaggeration or fabrication, their firm may avoid having to cover the full compensation for your injuries. If you are ever unsure whether to speak to someone about your accident or injuries, contact your personal injury lawyer first.

Yes, you have a responsibility to cooperate with your own insurance company. Most insurance companies require their policyholders to promptly report any auto accident to gather basic information. Failure to promptly provide timely information to your insurance provider can even result in a loss of coverage for the accident. However, avoid making statements about who was at fault in the accident; only relate the facts of the accident as they occurred. You should consult your personal injury law firm before providing any additional information to the insurance company.

Once you’ve spoken to the police and addressed your immediate injury concerns, call your personal injury attorney. At United Citizen Law, the call and consultation are free, and you pay nothing unless our team wins compensation for you. Do not speak to the other driver’s insurance company. If you already have, you may still have a viable case and should rely on your personal injury lawyer to speak on your behalf moving forward. Call us at (916) 800-8457 and stop worrying about dealing with manipulative insurance adjusters.

Yes. Answer police questioning truthfully and clearly report any injury feelings. If you don’t immediately feel an injury, tell the police that you don’t currently feel pain but can’t tell for certain whether or not you were injured. This statement is true because many post-trauma injuries take hours or days to manifest through swelling, inflammation, and pain. If your car was damaged in an accident, you should get checked at a local urgent care center even when you don’t immediately experience pain. If you suffer immediate pain after an accident, request an ambulance at once and ask to be taken to the hospital.

The first action to take when involved in an accident is to get to a safe place. If you are injured, call an ambulance if you’re able and ask someone to call if you’re not. If someone else at the scene is injured and you can safely help them, you should do so. Once in a safe place, call the police and wait for them to arrive. If you were not at fault, if possible, talk to the other driver and see if he or she will admit to causing the accident. Don’t be accusatory, simply have a conversation about the accident and see what they say. If possible, write down or record what was said and report it to the police.